To accommodate some changes in my personal schedule, my posts here will now be scheduled for Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. If you're like me, you read most of your blogs via email subscriptions or in a reader or on Facebook, and the actual day of posting isn't that big of a deal, but I'm just letting y'all know so you don't think I disappeared.

Today, however, is Marriage Monday at The Pastor's Wife Speaks, so click the picture and visit me there!

Ha ha! Thanks to the magic of the Internet, I can be here, at Inkwell Inspirations,


and at The Pastor's Wife Speaks all at the same time today! How cool is that?


Now, if I could just figure out how to clone myself, leave my clone here to do the housework, and take off for the beach...

Today at Inkwell Inspirations, I'm addressing a serious, and scary topic: Is there a way to deal with the food safety issues we hear about in the news like the recent outbreak of E. coli contamination in Europe? What recourse do we have beyond refusing to eat? (We all know that's not gonna work!)

And at The Pastor's Wife Speaks, I'm sharing something about marriage that is applicable to every wife, not just pastor's wives. Are you guilty of reading your husband's heavenly mail?

I hope you'll click and visit at either (or both) places today. Leave a comment and let me know you've been by!

Ah, spring. When grass sprouts green and buds burst forth from the trees. Horses get "antsy" in the spring and schoolchildren become increasingly rambunctious. Why? You can probably blame it on hormones.

photo by andronicusmax	via PhotoRee

As women, we're accustomed to "blaming" things on our hormones. Odd food cravings, crabby attitudes, bloating, emotional outbursts, the sudden appearance of pimples, and so forth. What we aren't used to, however, is attributing behavioral changes in our menfolk to hormones ... but they have 'em, too!

Men have shifts in their levels of testosterone and estradiol, similar to the rise and fall of estrogen/progesterone that women have monthly. Some researchers indicate men may experience hormone-related issues daily, with surges and drops in testosterone levels from morning to evening. Cranky man in the morning? Could be hormone-related. There are notable changes in male hormone levels in the spring and fall, as well, providing a possible explanation for the rise in domestic violence cases in the fall, and this...

photo by Tambako the Jaguar	via PhotoRee

We know the rest of the story. David (who should have been out bashing his enemies over the head with the guys, because that's apparently what guys are supposed to DO in the spring) stayed home and fell prey to lust and adultery instead. Do you suppose David was dealing with hormone issues? For fellas, these fluctuations in hormone levels can cause anxiety, depression, stomach cramps, fatigue, anger, aggression, fluctuations in sexual drive, even cravings for chocolate and hot flashes.

Also known as Irritable Male Syndrome (IMS), men may demonstrate all sorts of unusual behaviors: a sudden desire to change jobs or career paths, irrational irritation and frustration about their current circumstances, blame-casting, a reversion to adolescent behavior patterns, hypersensitivity, and more.

My husband and I had a bi-annual battle royale every spring and fall for the first few years of our marriage. He would be dissatisfied about SOMETHING ... his job, our relationship, his future, our finances, etc. No matter what I did to "fix" it, nothing helped, which left me frustrated and angry. Has your husband ever tried to fix your hormonal issues, whether PMS, pregnancy, postpartum, or menopause? How effective were his efforts?

photo by johnmuk	via PhotoRee

I don't remember where I found the information about IMS, but it was heaven-sent. Realizing that my husband was not losing his mind every spring and fall was a huge help. (As much of a help as when HE learned about PMS and pregnancy hormones.) Instead of reacting in fear and anger to his argumentative attitude, sudden urge to go buy a new motorcycle/truck/airplane/TV/bed no matter what our checkbook said, general itchiness for extreme physical activity (skydiving, snowboarding, dirt biking, etc.), and endless "discussions" about his true purpose in life, I could step back and view the situation objectively, with a hint of compassion. He was caught in the midst of a PMS-like haze and didn't even know it!

While there's no surefire "cure" for IMS, knowing that your husband may be dealing with a hormonal shift in his body might be enough to defuse your own furious reaction to his ranting or withdrawal. For treatment (beyond chocolate, which you might both need) some have suggested that increasing the frequency of one's intimate marital relations may assuage the worst of the symptoms. (It's worth a try, anyway!)

Details of the latest royal wedding trickling into the news media serve as a distraction from reports of war and natural disasters. The upcoming wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton has folks around the world, who would ordinarily never think of such things, discussing wedding dresses and floral design and who will be invited and who won't.

The wedding of William's parents, Charles and Diana, generated similar buzz back in 1981. I had just turned 12, and I sat—bleary-eyed but entranced—by a grainy live broadcast of the wedding of the century in the wee hours of the morning.

We, as believers, are members of heaven's royal family, princes and princesses of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Whether we realize it or not, the world's obsession with royal weddings hints at what they hunger to see among the children of God. So what can we learn? Here are three thoughts we can apply to our own royal marriages.

1. The whole world is watching with hearts full of hope, daring to dream that romance is real, true love exists, and happily ever after is a legitimate possibility.
   
   
2. Everything might look good on the outside, but if our personal relationships (what is said and done when no one is watching or listening) are soured and spoiled, none of the pretty pictures matter.
    
3. If you were married to the Prince of _______________, how would you treat him differently than you treat that fella who fell asleep on the couch while you did the dishes, who left his grubby socks on the bathroom floor and forgot your last anniversary? The correct answer? No differently at all. (ouch)

(originally posted at The Pastor's Wife Speaks)

Today is Marriage Monday at The Pastor's Wife Speaks, and we're talking about a word that can strike terror in the heart of an otherwise stable, healthy woman. It's a word that's been used against women by those who would manipulate God's word for selfish reasons.
What is it?
There's a negative perception in the world, and very often in church, that "submissive wife" and "marital slave" are synonymous terms. That's incorrect!

Submission is never forced, nor coerced, nor demanded. By its very definition, submission must be voluntarily offered or it isn't submission anymore. Submission that's manipulated or forced is correctly called TYRANNY, and it has nothing to do with the God-ordained covenant of marriage. In other words, when someone says "you have to submit to me," red flags should go up in your spirit, because something is already out of order.

The word submission literally means to come under the mission of someone or something. From a military standpoint, a soldier comes under the mission of his or her commanding officer. An employee comes under the mission of his or her employer. In marriage, it means a wife sets herself under her husband's mission in life and sets herself in position to help him carry it out. It's not a loss of value or worth or power. In fact, submission is place of supernatural safety and protection. (If this concept is new to you, or if you've been the victim of abuse by authority, I highly recommend John Bevere's book Under Cover.)

Scripture art via the160acrewoods.com, click here for MORE!

What IS your husband's mission? Do you know? Has he delegated aspects of that mission/assignment/vision to you? Have you assumed things he hasn't required of you? If you can't answer these questions, ask your husband. Tell him you want to be a better help-meet to him, and in order to do that, you need some direction. Encourage him to communicate his mission/vision/assignment for your family and finances, for your church and ministry.

Another definition for submission — in a very practical, walking through your day-to-day life kind of way  — is a respectful response. NOTE: Submission and agreement are NOT the same thing. Just because you disagree on a subject or a course of action does not make you a submission failure! It also doesn't mean you're expected to keep all your opinions, ideas, and suggestions to yourself. It does mean your communication, whether it's in disagreement or in submitting an idea, should be done respectfully, without emotional or mental manipulation. Using tears to get your way, or withholding physical affection is NOT submissive behavior.

And one more way to view Christian submission: You are, as a daughter of God, first and foremost submitted to HIM. Your husband falls below God on the hierarchy of authority. Therefore, when your DH is doing something dumb (Of course, OUR husbands never do anything dumb, right?) you turn to your heavenly Father, and ask God to have a chat with the man you've been assigned to as a life partner. God is better equipped to deal with His boys than we are. Seriously.

Are you submitted? Working on it? Don't be afraid. The position of submission is a position of power.

Ever feel discouraged, frustrated, or that your efforts to be a blessing go unnoticed or unappreciated?
Rest assured, someone is watching, and noticing, and appreciating.
And it's not Santa.

Read the whole post over at The Pastor's Wife Speaks

patersor via Flickr

She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness.

Prov 31:26 NKJV

A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

Prov 15:4 NKJV

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Prov 15:1 NIV

(Originally posted at The Pastor's Wife Speaks.)
Marriage Monday

My post today at The Pastor's Wife Speaks is particularly directed to ministry wives, but the points about being proactive to protect our husbands and marriages apply to us all. We're partners, a team working together, not enemy combatants!